COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (ABN: 122 104 616)

Monday, February 2, 2015

NSW Police given option to hide name badges to protect identity

NSW Police officers will be allowed to remove their name badges and replace them with numberplates. (Getty)

Police in NSW will be given the option of swapping their name badges
for numberplates in order to protect their identities from being
exploited for online harassment and threats of violence.

The option to swap the identity plates that have long sat pinned to
officers' chests could be replaced if individuals choose or feel the
need to conceal their personal identity from being exploited by
criminals or online trolls.

NSW Police have reported an increase in the amount of abuse they have
received directly online or over the phone after being personally
identified by members of the public, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The uptick in threats is being attributed to increasing prevalence of
recording equipment at events such as protests which have later been
posted online and analysed for personal detail by members of the public
that might have personal grudges against individual police.

The NSW Police association also highlighted the increased danger in the age of terror attacks.

"With the advent of social media and the ongoing risk of terrorism we
need to make sure we protect our officers," Police Association of NSW
president Scott Weber told the newspaper.

"We are seeing time and again officers being trolled and attacked via social media.

"The last thing we want is officers being targeted at their station, in their local community or at their home."

In one instance police said a western Sydney man allegedly called
Rosehill Local Area Command and said he was a member of the Islamic
State and threatened to cut a particular cop's head off.

The new agreement will allow officers to replace name badges with serial
numberplates which, while not a mandatory replacement, are being seen
as a safer option for officers serving in frontline operations.

The vice-president of the Australian Privacy Foundation, David Vaile,
said the name badges were an important factor for the public to be able
to identify officers accused of abusing their power but acknowledged
police concerns about have their private details being shared and
exploited online.

Identifying police has been a civil liberties concern since the Vietnam
War when the removal of badges was seen by protestors as a sign that
things might get violent.

At the APEC protest in Sydney in September 2007, more than 200 police
were photographed without their name badges which protestors said
allowed them to conceal their identity and act aggressively toward the
public.

9news.com.au 19 Jan 2015

Another action by a criminal government to protect the criminal actions of police.

This action has literally NOTHING to do with 'terrorism', but rather the criminal actions of Australia's police 'force'.